The Frugal World Traveler: A Costa Rica Vacation On A Budget

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The tiny Latin America country, Costa Rica, is a great destination for hundreds of thousands of visitors from Europe, Canada, the United States and other countries. They visit for many reasons. Some love the great beaches. Others prefer the tropical mountains, great weather, outdoor activities, or adult nightlife (what happens here, stays here).

You do not have to spend a fortune to experience Costa Rica so long as you bring a little knowledge. There are some travel bargains which are not commonly known to tourists.

Explorers, adventurers, pirates, and brave souls have marveled about this country for centuries. Christopher Columbus discovered it in 1503. His ship dropped anchor south of what is now Limon on the country’s Caribbean coast. He was so enthralled he gave it the name, Costa Rica–the rich coast. Nearly 80 years later, English captain and explorer Sir Francis Drake set anchor at what is now called Drake Bay off the southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. If the name sounds familiar, it is because you paid attention during history class: he is famous for destroying the Spanish Armada and saving England in 1588.

However, unlike these discoverers, you won’t need a boatload of people to help you get around and it will not cost you the Crown treasure, either.

Like boating? How about a nice cruise along the warm waters off the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica? About an hour and half long, traveling between Puntarenas and the southern tip of the beautiful Nicoya Peninsula (where you will find fabulous beaches and surfing), take a ferry. There are several to choose from and they set sail about every hour or so. The cost? About $1.50. Less than the cost of a bottle of water, a soda or beer. Is this value or what?

Trains are fun, too. From downtown San Jose, take a four hour ride on the Tico Train to Puntarenas. You’ll see spectacular mountains and cross deep chasms on tall bridges. The train will be packed and filled with happy Costa Rican families. Be sure to bring your bathing suit because you are going to end on the beach! How much? About $16 each way. Like the ferry, most tourists don’t know about the train. For reservations (you need them) call American Travel at telephone number 22-33-33-00.

Your Costa Rica vacation will provide you two coasts to choose from and nearly 800 miles of sunny beaches can be explored, surfed, hiked, swum (but be careful about rip tides at some places), and even fished for free. Every beach in this country is public and open to everybody. And you can get anywhere really cheaply. Public and private buses are everywhere in Costa Rica. For example, suppose, like lots of other tourists you want to take in the lovely Pacific town of Jaco. From the price of a Happy Meal, you can take a large, comfortable, air-conditioned bus ride from San Jose to Jaco. Yep. Less than $5 will get you there.

Finally, I have one more budgetary secret to share. There are very nice Costa Rica hostels throughout the country. Sure, most folks associate hostels with college kids crammed into a dorm but the truth is that many of the hostels in Costa Rica offer private rooms for just a little more per person than a dorm. You don’t need to spend $50-70+ per person to have a nice room. I know because I’ve stayed in private, quiet rooms at hostels for way less than the cost of hotels.

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